Field Of Nuclear Energy Research Articles

Promising Areas of Energy Cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia

The promising areas of energy cooperation outlined in this article are most fully capable of ensuring mutual consideration of the energy interests of Russia and Saudi Arabia in the context of achieving national technological sovereignty and achieving the production of common goods for the purposes of energy development of the two countries.Aim. To identify promising areas of energy cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia, taking int o account the priorities of ‘green’ energy development in KSA.Tasks. To analyse the current state and priorities of ‘green’ energy development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the framework of the ‘Vision 2030’ programme; to analyse the existing legal framework and institutional mechanisms of energy cooperation between Russia and KSA; to identify key areas of technological cooperation between Russia and KSA in the field of nuclear energy; to assess the potential of cooperation between Russia and KSA in the field of hydrogen energy development; to develop practical recommendations for the development of Russian and Saudi energy co operation in the field of hydrogen energy.Methods. To solve the problems posed in the study, the author uses such methods as statistical analysis, system and compar ative analysis, scientific generalization, expert assessments.Results. Support and assistance to the governments of the Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia in the area of fuel and energy complex is an important tool for achieving the strategic objectives of the two countries in the field of energy, science and technology. The energy dialogue between Russia and Saudi Arabia has considerable potential fo r further deepening and expansion, particularly in such areas as nuclear and hydrogen power.Conclusions. Intensified efforts to create favorable conditions for bilateral energy cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia are today aimed at: the possibility of diversifying the fuel and energy complex and maintaining its sustainability in the changing global energy landscape; creating advanced technologies that can increase the competitiveness of the two countries on the world stage, as well as achieve the goal of the energy transition to reduce the carbon footprint; creating new highly skilled jobs in research, engineering, production and services.

Reconfiguration of the U.S. and Canadian Nuclear Industries

Nuclear energy industry is currently undergoing a renaissance due to its competitiveness in the global energy market and its indispensability in the context of the energy transition and the "climate" agenda of global elites. The USA and Canada are among the leading players in the global nuclear technologies market. They possess uranium reserves and technologies for uranium extraction, conversion, enrichment, nuclear fuel production, and nuclear power plants construction. They also rely on their own well-developed nuclear power sectors, which together account for about a third of the world's nuclear power generation. However, in recent years, the United States and Canada have gradually lost ground in many segments of the global nuclear energy market. A reconfiguration of the North American nuclear industry is currently underway. To a large extent, the new institutional structure of the American-Canadian alliance in the global nuclear technology market has already crystallized around Cameco – Westinghouse Electric consortium, formed under the auspices of the investment group Brookfield, and the CANDU ecosystem. For the United States, the main priority in the field of nuclear energy today is increasing uranium enrichment capacity and overcoming dependence on Russia in this area. In addition, Washington and Ottawa aim to strengthen their positions abroad, both in the construction of new reactors and in the supply of nuclear fuel and uranium mining. They are also working on expanding their own nuclear generation capacities and developing small modular reactors. On the international stage, the institutionalization of the American-Canadian alliance in the field of nuclear energy makes it inevitable that the United States and Canada will attempt to regain market share in atomic energy technologies, nuclear fuel, and uranium raw materials. They will also work to undermine the Russian Federation’s position in these markets, reduce its export revenues, and slow down the development of its nuclear energy industry.

Model-based systems engineering adoption in the U.S. Nuclear industry

This paper examines research covering applications of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and the field of nuclear energy in the U.S. to gain a better understanding of how to better posture the industry for expansion while maintaining a high margin of safety. It provides an analysis of current research to identify the benefits and drawbacks of implementing MBSE, how the U.S. can benefit from MBSE methodologies in nuclear energy, and the overall impacts of implementing MBSE in American nuclear energy operations and development. This paper seeks to highlight how the benefits of utilizing MBSE in nuclear energy operations outweigh the negative outcomes of doing so.

Energy «injection» concept. Part 2. Cooperation in nuclear energy

In the articles, the author analyzed the prerequisites for expanding the interaction between Russia and India on the basis of a particularly privileged partnership.Part 2 is devoted to identifying points of economic growth in bilateral RussianIndian relations in the field of nuclear energy, which can give an impetus to the development of related industries.

PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY IN THE NEW ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Introduction: The purpose of the article is to determine the prospects for the development of trade and economic relations between Russia and Turkey at the present stage. The relevance поставленной of this goal is due to the fact, that Turkey did not join the economic sanctions against Russia and took advantage of the favorable market conditions to increase the supply of priority goods to the Russian market, but the prospects for the development of these relations are currently not clearly defined, as a result of which the aspect requires further in-depth study. Methods: Research methods are analysis and systematization of information, as well as methods of generalization and analogy. Results: The results of the study show that Russia is one of the main suppliers of energy resources for Turkey, and Turkey occupies a unique position as the main supplier of consumer goods, such as textiles, clothing, food, household appliances and electronics. The study revealed significant fluctuations in the share of trade flows between countries depending on the foreign policy situation and economic sanctions, which reflects the high sensitivity of trade to political factors. Available data: The article presents data on trade turnover between Russia and Turkey for the period from 2015 to 2023. Discussion: It is concluded that the development of Russian-Turkish relations is based on mutual benefit, which allows us to judge their further development. Promising areas for the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries are: further development of parallel imports and Turkey's participation in supply chains, increasing the supply of Turkish-made consumer goods to the Russian market, as well as joint cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, including joint construction and commissioning of industrial facilities. In the current political and economic environment, new prospects for deepening Russian-Turkish relations have emerged, including currency cooperation and the development of the infrastructure of trade and economic ties. In the long term, both countries may consider cooperation opportunities in related areas, such as nuclear medicine, the production of isotopes and radioactive materials.

Assessment of Efficiency of the Main Types of International Cooperation in the Field of Nuclear Energy

Assessment of Efficiency of the Main Types of International Cooperation in the Field of Nuclear Energy

Data-driven design of novel lightweight refractory high-entropy alloys with superb hardness and corrosion resistance

Lightweight refractory high-entropy alloys (LW-RHEAs) hold significant potential in the fields of aviation, aerospace, and nuclear energy due to their low density, high strength, high hardness, and corrosion resistance. However, the enormous composition space has severely hindered the development of novel LW-RHEAs with excellent comprehensive performance. In this paper, an machine learning (ML)-based alloy design strategy combined with a multi-objective optimization method was proposed and applied for a rational design of Al-Nb-Ti-V-Zr-Cr-Mo-Hf LW-RHEAs. The quantitative relation of “composition-structure-property” was first established by ML modeling. Then, feature analysis reveals that Cr content greater than 12 at.% is a key criterion for alloys with high corrosion resistance. The phase structure, density, melting point, hardness and corrosion resistance of the alloys were screened layer by layer, and finally, three LW-RHEAs with superb hard and corrosion resistance were successfully designed. Key experimental validation indicates that three target alloys have densities around 6.5 g/cm3, and all alloys are disordered bcc_A2 single-phase with the highest hardness of 593 HV and the largest pitting potential of 2.5 VSCE, which far exceeds all the literature reports. The successful demonstration in this paper clearly demonstrates that the present design strategy driven by the ML technique should be generally applicable to other RHEA systems.

Effect of tip injection on performance of highly loaded helium compressor in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor

As one of the representatives of the fourth-generation advanced nuclear reactor, the continuous development and application of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) technology has promoted the technical progress of the whole nuclear energy field. Helium compressor is one of the core components of HTGR. The highly loaded helium compressor effectively solves the disadvantages of the low single-stage pressure ratio and numerous stages of the traditional helium compressor. But it also brings a more complex tip-leakage flow. Tip injection, which is an active control method, can effectively control the tip clearance leakage and inhibit the development of the leakage vortex. This paper analyses the effects of axial deflection angle and injection pitch angle on the rotor performance of a highly loaded helium compressor via numerical simulation and validates them via experiment. Results show that the leakage vortex can be blown to the pressure surface of the adjacent blade by proper axial deflection angle to reduce the vorticity of the leakage vortex. The injection pitch angle directly affects the intensity of the leakage vortex during its initiation and development. When the axial deflection angle is 60° and the injection pitch angle is 20°, the adiabatic compression efficiency and total pressure ratio increase by 0.554 % and 0.160 % respectively under the design condition, and by 0.822 % and 0.162 % respectively under near-stall conditions.

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of once-through steam generator with annular narrow slot tube

Integrated small modular reactors (SMR) have garnered significant attention in the field of nuclear energy, with the high-performance integrated steam generator being a critical technology for their advancement. The high-performance once-through steam generator (HP-OTSG) featuring an annular narrow slot tube, which leverages narrow channel enhanced heat transfer technology, holds significant potential for future applications. However, research on the design and experimental studies related to this type of steam generator remains significantly limited. This paper establishes a thermo-hydraulic analysis method for the OTSG based on the segmented heat exchanger design ideas, and the analysis method is verified by comparing the calculation results with those in the literatures. Then, the experimental studies conducted in the annular narrow slot tube and the related conclusions are comprehensively reviewed and subjected to an accurate assessment. The design parameters of a typical SMR, 200 MW Nuclear Heating Reactor-II (NHR200-II), are selected to evaluate and analyze the accuracy and validity of the correlation based on the annular narrow slot tube in the different heat transfer regions including the onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) point, saturated boiling heat transfer coefficient (hsat), dry-out point, and the post-dryout heat transfer coefficient (hpdo). Finally, the influences of operational and geometrical parameters on the performance of the HP-OTSG are analyzed, and the design optimization of the HP-OTSG is performed according to several performance indicators including Power Density (PD), Area Density (AD), pressure drop (Δp), secondary steam temperature (T2out), heat transfer factor (j), the proportion of nucleate boiling zone length in H (PNL), the point of dry-out (Xdryout), and the length of heat exchange tube (L). The model developed in this paper extends the application range of high-performance steam generators to annular narrow slot tubes. The calculation model including both of the analysis method and the heat transfer correlations established in the present study can serve as a useful tool for the design and optimization of HP-OTSG, which further prompts the development of integrated SMR with built-in steam generator.

Long-time oxidation resistance of KD-SiC fibers with different composition and structure in air atmosphere

Continuous silicon carbide (SiC) fibers, as reinforcement of ceramic matrix composites, have broad application prospects in the fields of aviation, aerospace and nuclear energy. Three typical KD-SiC fibers were adopted to explore the relationship of the composition and structure with their long-term oxidation (1–100 h) resistance in air environment. The mechanical strength retention of the nearly stoichiometric polycrystalline SiC fiber (C-1) was generally higher than that of the SiC fiber (C-3) with excess carbon and low oxygen, also higher than the nearly stoichiometric SiC fiber (C-2), especially under oxidation conditions of higher temperature and longer holding time. By comparing the high-temperature resistance with oxidation resistance at 1200–1600 °C, it was found that the oxidation reaction was the dominant factor affecting the mechanical properties. This work could provide theoretical and practical references for improvement of oxidation resistance of SiC fibers and their composites.

Terminology of Nuclear Energy Field based on the English Language

Terminology of Nuclear Energy Field based on the English Language

A review on recent progress of refractory high entropy alloys: From fundamental research to engineering applications

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) have emerged as frontier materials for high-temperature structural applications due to their exceptional mechanical properties and thermal stability. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and in-depth summary of the latest research progress in the field of RHEAs. By systematically analyzing 253 publications since 2022, this review presents a panoramic overview of the current research status in the field of RHEAs, covering aspects from alloy design, microstructure, processing techniques, mechanical behavior, to physicochemical properties. Key strengthening and toughening mechanisms, such as solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening, and grain boundary strengthening, are extensively analyzed. The high-temperature mechanical performance, oxidation resistance, and adaptability of RHEAs in extreme environments including corrosion and irradiation, are critically reviewed, and the potential application value of these research findings in aerospace, nuclear energy, biomedical, and other fields is discussed. Simultaneously, the multidisciplinary characteristics of RHEAs research has revealed the trend of the field evolving from fundamental research to practical applications. Furthermore, with the aid of advanced characterization techniques and computational methods, the review elucidates the controlling effects of chemical short-range order, defect structures, and other factors on the performance evolution of RHEAs, highlighting the importance of multi-principal element synergistic effects. Based on summarizing the key scientific issues and technological bottlenecks faced by RHEAs, the article provides a forward-looking perspective on future research directions, emphasizing development strategies that integrate computation and experiments, and accelerate the transformation of fundamental research into engineering applications, thus providing insights and guidance for developing a new generation of high-performance RHEAs.

Steering the Atoms for Peace and Development: Legal Aspects of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the leading international organization in the field of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation. This paper examines the most important policy body of the Agency, the Board of Governors (BoG). The legal foundation of the BoG will be discussed in light of its constitutional documents, most notably the Statute of the IAEA and the Rules of Procedure of the BoG. The research question will be approached from the theoretical angle of functionalism. The paper suggests that in fact, the practical role of the BoG is even more important than could be concluded on the basis of the legal documents whence the powers of the BoG derive. Over the years, the normative framework of the IAEA has enabled the BoG to adapt to rapidly changing decision-making environments and political situations. Furthermore, this has made it possible for the BoG to contribute in a relatively effective manner to the development of substantive international nuclear policy and law.

Human intrusion dose assessment for the safe disposal of radioactive spent resin mixed waste at disposal facilities

This study explores the feasibility of safely disposing of spent resin mixed waste from which pure beta emitters(14C, 3H) have been removed 95 % at near-surface disposal facilities and evaluates the radiation dose to the public in the event of human intrusion after the management period of the disposal site. The decommissioning of Wolsong Unit 1, Korea's first commercial heavy water reactor, marks a critical juncture in the field of nuclear energy, highlighting the imperative for advancements in the methodologies of decommissioning, decontamination, and stewardship of mixed spent resin radioactive waste. To this end, six human intrusion scenarios are examined, and a cross-validation is performed using GENII and RESRAD-ONSITE simulation codes to confirm that the public dose criterion of 1 mSv/y is not exceeded under any of the scenarios. This result suggests that the safe disposal of waste from which beta radionuclides have been removed is possible, carrying significant implications for waste management and environmental protection. Such assessments provide scientific evidence for establishing waste disposal strategies and can serve as foundational data for the sustainable utilization of nuclear energy.

A study on He ion irradiation damage in (Ti0.25Zr0.25Nb0.25Ta0.25)C high-entropy carbide ceramics from room temperature to 700 °C

High-entropy carbide ceramics (Ti0.25Zr0.25Nb0.25Ta0.25)C with a single-phase rock-salt structure were prepared by hot-pressed sintering. These ceramics were irradiated with 500 keV He2+ ions to fluences of 5 × 1016 ions·cm−2 and 1 × 1017 ions·cm−2 at room temperature to 700 °C. The investigation into irradiation-induced lattice swelling was conducted using grazing incident X-ray diffraction, while microstructure evolution was characterized through transmission electron microscopy. Lattice expansion induced by the He ion irradiation was identified, which highly depends on the irradiation temperature and fluence. Notably, the lattice expansion diminishes with rising irradiation temperature primarily as a result of the dynamic annealing effect. Nano-sized He bubbles, with an average diameter of less than 1 nm were uniformly dispersed within the grain interior. Notably, He bubble nucleation does not exhibit a preference for grain boundaries at 700 °C irradiation. Following He ion irradiation at 350 °C and 700 °C, dislocation loops of 1/3<111> and 1/2<110> with sizes in the ranges of several nanometers were observed. The present study provides insights into high-entropy carbide ceramics with potential applications in the field of nuclear energy.

Experimental study on the preparation of superalloy Inconel718 heat exchanger channels by electrochemical etching method

The nuclear energy field requires the construction of heat exchangers that can withstand sufficiently high temperatures. In this paper, the etching technique was utilized to fabricate heat exchange channels on Inconel718 plates, and experiments were carried out in NaCl-ethylene glycol solution, three temperature conditions of 35 °C, 40 °C, and 45 °C, and two concentrations of electrolyte solutions, 0.5 mol/L and 1 mol/L, with the addition of 50 kHz ultrasound for comparison. The experimental results show that the etching rate can be as high as 2.894 mm/h, and the inter-electrode current is as high as 908 mA. The roughness characterization of the etching channel Ra and Rq measured by the aspheric surface measuring instrument can be as low as 2.416 μm and 2.647 μm, respectively. In the images generated by SEM scanning, it is found that uneven distribution of pits and bumps exist in the etching channel, but their diameters are all less than 0.1 μm, which means the etched channel is acceptably smooth.

A microstructure-based constitutive model for creep rate and damage of oxide dispersion strengthened high-entropy alloy

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exhibit a great resistance to creep, which has a great application potential on the nuclear energy field. However, the classical creep model hardly considers the coupling effect of the cutting and Orowan bypassing mechanism as well as severe atomic lattice distortion in ODS HEAs, leading to low prediction accuracy. Here, we propose a dislocation theory-based constitutive model for strength and creep rate considering the climbing mechanism, shearing mechanism, and Orowan bypassing mechanism in ODS HEAs. In addition, the effects of the size and spatial distribution of the oxide particle on creep rate and strength are studied. The creep rate and yield strength obtained from the experiments and developed model are compared to verify the rationality and accuracy. The proposed model has demonstrated a high prediction accuracy, with the creep rate and yield strength achieving levels as high as 98.2 % and 98.1 %, respectively. The incorporation of oxide particles within a specific size range and volume fraction has been proven to significantly improve creep resistance. Interestingly, the fracture time has the potential to exceed 41 years, significantly surpassing that Zr-based alloys under the same conditions. This model would be utilized to predict the creep rate in response to a complex applied stress, offering theoretical guidance for the development of ODS HEAs with superior creep resistance for nuclear reactor cladding materials.

Monte Carlo Simulations of the Interaction of 55Mn with 14.7-MeV Protons Produced by D+3He Fusion Reaction

The global energy crisis and climate change pose significant challenges for the future of humankind. To address these issues, clean energy sources are being promoted, with nuclear energy being an effective solution. The development of fission reactors and the promising advancements in fusion reactor technology provide potential solutions. However, challenges related to security and costs remain. This study focuses on the interaction between 55Mn and protons at 14.7 MeV using Monte Carlo simulations. Various Monte Carlo codes, including TALYS-1.96, GEANT4 (for GEometry ANd Tracking), PHITS-3.31 (for Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System), SRIM-2013 (for Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter), and ATIMA v1 41 (for ATomic Interaction with MAtter), were employed to investigate different interaction mechanisms. The research aims to understand the impact of these interactions on reactor performance, particularly in the context of the fusion facility. Manganese-containing steels play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency, durability, and safety in fusion reactors. The findings contribute to ongoing research and development activities in the field of nuclear energy.

РИСК СМЕРТНОСТИ ОТ ОСНОВНЫХ ПАТОЛОГИЙ ВСЛЕДСТВИЕ ПАССИВНОГО КУРЕНИЯ НЕ ДОСТИГАЕТСЯ ПОДАВЛЯЮЩИМ БОЛЬШИНСТВОМ РАБОТНИКОВ ЯДЕРНОЙ ИНДУСТРИИ ВСЕХ ПЕРИОДОВ ЗАНЯТОСТИ

To date, there are about 100 meta-analyses for lung cancer and circulatory (cardiovascular) diseases (CVD) as the effects of second hand smoking (SHS). The obtained risk values (Relative Risk – RR, odds ratio – OR, etc.) are in the range of 1.2–1.3, but there are no definitively accepted estimates yet, and many estimates were not made in recent years. Both SHS and work at nuclear industry enterprises have become stereotypes in everyday and scientific everyday consciousness, meaning something harmful in everyday and professional terms. The present study compared the mortality risks from all cancers, lung cancer, and CVD for SHS and nuclear workers (NW). At the first stage, an umbrella review (review of reviews; overview) and meta-analyses of meta-analyses (meta-meta-analyses) on the risks of mortality from these pathologies as effects of SHS were performed. Umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis are regarded as the highest level of evidence and, thus, the identified risks can be conditionally considered as ‘standard’. There were insufficient data available for all cancer mortality rates after SHS; Therefore, the results from the meta-analysis by Kim A.S. et al, 2018 were used., and meta-meta-analyses were performed for lung cancer and CVD mortality. The risk values were in the range of 1.22–1.24, which replicates previous findings. At the second stage, the risks identified for SHS were compared with the risks of mortality from the named pathologies for NW. The sample of publications for NW, extracted from the database maintained by the authors, included the most representative cohorts in relation to nuclear installations: with maximum doses, as well as combined cohorts (14–15 countries and INWORK – 3 countries). Based on published ERRs per 1 Gy for a given NW population, the radiation doses that NW would have to accumulate to approach the mortality risks from SHS were calculated. To achieve SHS risks for all three disease types, NWs were found to need to receive radiation doses ranging from 129–183 mSv to 1.07–6.0 Sv. There have been no cases in which the risk from SHS was equivalent to exposure to low-dose radiation (up to 100 mGy); more often, doses were localized in the range of about 300–800 mSv, up to 6 Sv. Analysis of published data on dose distributions for NW has demonstrated that such doses are received either by a relatively small or vanishingly small proportion of NW. Risks for 80–96 % of NWs from various countries, including activities since the 1940s, did not reach the harms of chronic exposure to SHS. It is concluded that the decades-long study of risks for NW, in particular ‘low doses’, does not seem adequate without taking into account the magnitude of even weak, but poorly controlled risks of everyday life, and the data obtained once again improves the image of employment in the field of nuclear energy.

Numerical investigation on mixed convection for laminar molten salt in horizontal square tubes

Molten salts are the key working media in nuclear and new energy fields. However, the mixed convection of molten salt is rarely investigated. The mixed convection of laminar flow in horizontal square tubes with constant heat flux is analyzed using Fluent software for the first time. The effects of heat flux, inlet temperature and Reynolds number on the flow and heat transfer performances are evaluated. It is found that as the buoyancy force increases, the friction factor, flow entropy generation rate, Nusselt number, and exergy efficiency increase, while the heat transfer entropy generation rate and exergy loss decrease. Compared to the forced convection, the maximum local friction factor, flow entropy generation rate, mean Nusselt number and mean exergy efficiency for mixed convection increase by 25.8%, 50.5%, 109.0% and 7.6%, respectively. Moreover, the maximum mean heat transfer entropy generation rate and exergy loss decrease by 56.1% and 57.3%, respectively. In addition, approximately 42% of the friction factor predicted by Fluent and 30% of the heat transfer predicted by Fluent exceed 20.0% uncertainties of conventional correlations. Therefore, an accurate friction factor correlation with 12.9% uncertainty and an accurate heat transfer correlation with 9.1% uncertainty are proposed.